Drug Enforcement Administration

Hayesville, N.C. man sentenced to more than 11 years in federal prison for drug trafficking

In separate case, Maggie Valley man operating methamphetamine lab from his residence is sentenced to 17 years

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger sentenced Eugene “Bo” Mashburn, 58, of Hayesville, N.C. today to 135 months in prison, announced Andrew Murray, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Judge Reidinger also ordered Mashburn to serve five years under court supervision upon completion of his prison sentence.

According to filed court documents and today’s sentencing hearing, Mashburn conspired with other drug traffickers in North Carolina and Georgia to distribute significant quantities of methamphetamine. According to court records, over the course of the investigation, law enforcement conducted two controlled buys of methamphetamine from Mashburn and seized methamphetamine, 24 firearms and two silencers from Mashburn’s residence.

In making the announcement, U.S. Attorney Murray thanked the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Asheville Post of Duty; the Clay County Sheriff’s Office; the Georgia Bureau of Investigation; the Swain County Sheriff’s Office; the Macon County Sheriff’s Office; the Highlands Police Department; and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation for handling the investigation.

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In a separate case, Judge Reidinger also sentenced today Jeremy Daniel Bowen, 44, of Maggie Valley, N.C. to 210 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. According to court documents and today’s sentencing hearing, law enforcement became aware that Bowen, who has a prior murder conviction, was operating a methamphetamine lab out of his residence in Maggie Valley. Court records show that law enforcement seized processed methamphetamine from the residence as well as a loaded firearm.

Bowen’s investigation was handled by the DEA’s Asheville Post of Duty and the Maggie Valley Police Department.

Both defendants are in custody, and upon designation of a federal facility they will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. All federal sentences are served without the possibility of parole.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Kent, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville, prosecuted both cases.

The DEA encourages parents, along with their children, to educate themselves about the dangers of legal and illegal drugs by visiting DEA’s interactive websites at www.justhinktwice.com, www.GetSmartAboutDrugs.com and www.dea.gov. Also follow DEA Atlanta via Twitter at @DEAATLANTADiv.